ACMI | The Mortality of Media | Infographics | Conceptual Project | 2017

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Project Brief

We make films to capture moments in time, preserve memories and tell stories – yet nothing lasts forever.

This set of infographics for ACMI uses publicly available collection metadata to explore the allocation and lifespans of various media storage formats. ACMI’s collection aims to preserve film, yet formats such as 35mm and 16mm film are at risk of vinegar syndrome, a chemical reaction that degrades the quality of the film depending on temperature and humidity conditions. Magnetic tape formats such as VHS, U-Matic and Beta also degrades over time.

Inspired by the pink fade of vinegar syndrome, the infographics highlight the fuzzy, approximate nature of lifespan time-lines with a gradual fadeout of colour.